TNA is in SERIOUS trouble

[wolvdog316]

Read the title folks. They got themselves into a big ass mess and I'm not sure HOW to fix it, or even suggest to.

Obviously, Nasty Boys and Orlando and Val and Hall and Syxx shouldn't even be anywhere near TNA. But that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about ratings, money, and contracts.

Think back. Think all the way back to when WCW really started to gather some steam. It wasn't Hogan debuting in WCW that caused it. WCW was sinking, nobody watched their PPVs, their stadiums weren't sell outs, everybody was sick of Hogan. So Bischoff decides lets go get some REALLY REALLY over guys. They took Lex, who was SUPER over. They went and got a bunch of luchadores and smaller wrestlers from ECW. They went and acquired Macho Man. They acquired older stars, that could still go at a HIGH rate, AND they would draw.

Then Bischoff struck gold. He nabbed Hall and Nash. Two guys in their primes. One, Nash, didn't draw that good, and Hall drew decent. That when the War started. When Hall appeared on Nitro. It was unheard of. Myself, I thought Hall was still with WWF. Now I know Hall wasn't an "outsider" but that REALLY intrigued me. Then Nash, then Hogan turns heel, rest is history.

BECAUSE of what transpired in the Monday Night Wars, Vince forever changed how he does business.

Everybody is now on multiyear contracts, 90 day no compete clauses, merchandise clauses, you name it.

So think back. Would WCW EVER been able to compete with WWF if it wasn't for that now famous moment of Hall walking down the stairs on Nitro? WCW tried a tweener heel Hogan, it flopped. Bad. Hogan was dead to rights, he wasn't over anymore like he was. He needed something fresh and original and Hall and Nash was just that. Would WCW had ever won a single week WITHOUT Rick Rude showing up on Nitro AND a taped Raw? Probably not. What about Million Dollar Man just showing up, or Syxx? Big Moments. nWo would have NEVER worked without Hall and Nash

And that brings me to why TNA is in SERIOUS trouble. Nobody on their roster right now can sell. They can't sell PPVs, they can't sell out areanas, they can't do squat. But because of the 90 day no compete clauses, and 5 year contracts, TNA can't steal a John Cena, or a HHH, or a Shawn Michaels, or a Kofi Kingston, or Randy Orton. All they can take is WWE leftovers.

Problem is, WWE leftovers are leftovers for a reason. Only a select few MIGHT actually help. Morgan and Pope come to mind. But for every 2 of them, you get Nasty boys, Orlando, Brian Kendrick,Booker T, Steiner, Nash, yadda yadda. Even Hardy has some serious baggage and he quits way to often to be relied upon as a top guy. So that puts TNA in a SERIOUS dilema. How do you attract viewers when what you have to offer isn't appealing to a mass market. And what's on the free agent scene, isn't going to help you within the next year

And it doesn't help when the people in charge appear as if they have no clue what they are doing.

Take the PPV. Daniels, one of your more over wrestlers, get's beat clean by a guy who was wrestling dark matches a year ago. Abyss gets beat with a single brass knuckles. Now yeah, that's going back to old school. Problem is Abyss is the hardcore legend of TNA. He gets bloodied, beat up, set on fire, objects rammed in his face, eyes, back, and he always gets up. But brass knuckles beats him now? Doesn't work like that.

And honestly, I don't know what can be done, besides push the shit out of indy guys like Wolfe and maybe people like the Pope. Other than that, I'm not sure what can be done. There is no Hall or Nash walking through that door. You can't raid ECW this time around and get top notch talent.

And it doesn't help you trying to compete with WWE, when WWE isn't even doing that great ratings wise. Wrestling is in a downward spiral right now. There have been NO big stars created by either federation in a LONG time. Some might say Cena, but he sells a SHIT load of merchandise but he doesn't sell PPVs, or help Raw ratings. There is no Stone Cold, Rock, Hall, Nash right now.

So what can TNA do? How long will Panda stick with it. How long with Dixie stick with it when she realizes Hogan isn't drawing. And if Hogan fails, how do you rally the troops in believing they can draw when the mighty Hogan couldn't?

Can TNA survive with more crash tv, with more reality tv? I'm not sure they can as reality TV was very uncommon in 96. Now, there's probably 50-60 reality tv shows over 40 channels. Maybe more. I'm not sure if we, the viewers, can be shocked anymore over a long haul. I'm not sure the nWo moments or Stone Cold moments are anywhere close to happening again. The moments that suck you in and leave you begging for more. In either WWE or TNA.

 

[The Outsider]

You're quite correct.

The big issue is the 90 day release clause. Back in 96 it was the surprise factor that won WCW ratings to compete with WWE. Not gonna happen now, especially with the internet, and smarter wrestling fans. As soon as a WWE guy leaves, you'll instantly know he'll be in TNA in 90 days time. Zero surprise factor!

Plus from reading the PPV results, it doesn't look like TNA have anyone to write anything decent for Hogan's buddys.

I sense epic fail!

 

[psykohurricane]

One thing you forgot to talk about, the fact that they took everything that made TNA unique like the 6-sided ring and the high flying x-division action and replace it with a very boring product. The x-division always was known for the spectacular moves these guys would pull off like the tag match last week between The Motor city machine gun and generation me. Now with the new ring, these kind of match can't happen anymore because there is not place for these guy to fly around, just look at the Kendrick vs REd match from last night as and exemple.


TNA is really going in the wrong direction by taking everything that made it unique. For some reason when i watch TNA IMPACT, i think i'm watching a old epîsode of WCW Worldwide or Saturday night. That's not a good sign.

I always said that the only thing that could help TNA out of the predicament they are right now is to get out of the IMPACT Zone in Orlando, stop spending on getting new guys, they got enough guys on the roster right now and cleary the fans in Orlando are not happy with all the changes that are happening right now and while getting rating is important, keeping the core fan that went to every PPV and IMPACT Taping happy is more important because they will help the casual fan who never watch TNA before if they stay or not. If the fans chant bulls**t after a match or don'T react at all, the casual might thing that this product isn't worth watching and from what a read, that exactly what happen with the fans in Orlando last night.

If Hogan & Bischoff want to stay in Orlando, they need to know their audience and from what i've seen does far, they didn'T do their homework because most of what they did up to now failed. Even the rating for IMPACT went down from the january 4th show.

The fact is that right now, they are in big trouble because everything that going on with Hogan doesn'T work, Jarrett for some reason is trying to destroy Hogan by doing his own thing, they make all the top TNA guy look like they don'T belong in TNA. The only way TNA can get out of this is to move and make and release alot of wrestlers that they don'T need because right now it's the only thing that can help them is to take care of the 3 major problems they got, The IMPACT ZONE, JEFF JARRETT and the number of guys on the roster.

 

[TellMeWhy]

TNA will not fail as much as you want it to wolvdog316. I know you're a Hogan hater and want the Hogan experiment to fail but the truth is that TNA doesn't need any Cena's or Ortons. They have all the pieces in places. They have the cream of the crop. They have the guys that were considered the future in WWE about 3-4 years ago with the Lashleys and Andersons. They have the talented guys WWE missed out on such as Morgan & The Pope. They have the cream of the crop from the indies such as Joe, Homocide, and Wolfe. They have the TNA originals like Hernandez, AJ Styles, Daniels, etc. They have some of the most recognized and accomplished faces in wrestling like Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Foley, and Kurt Angle. They have 1 of wrestlings if not wrestling biggest draw of 2009 which is Jeff Hardy. They've got the best wrestling roster right now. How much more do you think TNA needs? TNA is fine. All they need is more tv time and that Monday Night stage every week. The pieces are there. All they have to do is put the pieces together. So no, TNA is not in any trouble.

 

[TNA2009Forward]

What a great topic and a great underlying statement that gets my cognitive thinking process going. You're sort of right, but the wrestling business in general, and not just TNA is in trouble from a futuristic standpoint. From WWE to TNA, you have some guys who've been there for years even past their prime and still able to draw, you have some great talent (some needless to say lackluster too), but are not names that help cram in a sold out arena. Names that could have done so are long aged old, retired or dead.

But on topic of TNA, what worries me most is in fact Dixie, her father and Panda Energy. I've been thinking of this myself. What if Dixie comes to an understanding (and that's if TNA doesn't really branch out more mainstream with Hogan and altered creative direction) that TNA isn't bringing in enough public eyes even with Hogan for her liking or even her fathers and decide to drop the company?

But while that remains uncertain, for right now, there are two choices in mainstream wrestling America. You have WWE and you have TNA and both seem to not be going that great financially, morely financially stagnant. WWE even declining with buyrates (Survivor Series), not sure for TNA and their PPVs which I'm sure don't average much. But they had their ratings increased a bit on January 4 although not anywhere near WWE's.

WWE tightening on contract regulations has really lessened that surprise defection factor of which star could jump from one company to another without waiting out a no-compete clause and TNA just doesn't seem to have abound publicity and the first class prospective to really accomplish star power in their invested wrestlers, YET, as creative changes and things could change. Then again, the work of art called "the mouthpiece" has pretty much been on a decline in wrestling these days. The new era guys just can't seem to get it done.

But what TNA should work on is adding more depth and character to the wrestlers like they've started, get on Monday nights officially, and leaving the iMPACT Zone for all their PPVs until they can fully make the launch and leave it permanently. They aren't making a dime-a-dozen hosting there for free, time to leave.

 

[shaneoshea]

I have watched TNA on and off for awhile and they were hit or miss. Now with Hogan and Bischoff I think they are confused. Everything they want to come off as Face the fans are hating / booing Examples:
Hogan response to Jarret the first show.
Val ven.. Sean morley and daniels. The fans cheered when daniels attacked.
The big one when they introduced the four sides the fans booed and chanted we want six sides and he said it doesn’t matter what you think that is Heel my friend.

TNA might not have been the best but what they di build has been brought crashing back down. Old guys and old wcw ways do not help them win at all the only hope is to book the young guys to go over some of the established but we all know that aint gonna happen.

They redid the whole Jarret / Hogan bit this past Thursday with Jarret coming off a little selfish and heelish. But then they turn Styles heel at the end of genesis he was fighting a heel and turns heel , he fought tomko Thursday and now the build up to that will be forgotten nd they will make up. . They make no sense and have no continuity.

Hogan, Bischoff and all of the new (old/neverwas) talent Hall, waltman, nasty boys, val venus, Orlando Jordan , steiner,whoever the hell else they want to bring in, add a couple TNA guys to jump ship as heels trying to take over and destroy everthing that TNA has built and this will be hogans way or the highway . Vs Foley , jarret , flair and the younger tna guys as the saviors of the way tna has grown and they don’t want the same old thing that died WCW. It would be 2 factions like they wanted with NWO. But this time they do not dominat e but use the time as putting over the younger guys and then when they are over they hall watmans etc fade away and youhave built your .

One more thing is they have been showing sting in the rafters during Hogan and “the Band” stuff. So he will come in as a Heel and get cheered more than Hogan. They just don’t get it. They need to flip flop what they think is face and what they think is heel .


I believe Hogan is getting paid by VINCE ( to destroy whatever TNA had, a small following) and TNA because they think he is there to help. But as you say HOGAN IS OUT FOR HIMSLEF ALL THE TIME.

January 4th 2010 is the day that Hulk Hogan revived (yeah right) KILLED TNA.

 

[justtxyank]

So to be clear, wrestlers can only do high flying spots in a 6 sided ring psykohurricane? I admit to not following the indies, so I didn't realize that six sided rings were all that were used on the indies, in backyards, in ROH, etc. I thought that was a TNA only thing. I didn't realize that Amazing Red, Paul London, and all the other spot monkeys had never been able to do their high flying stunts before they got to TNA.

 

[The Lame One]

Long time lurker here so please be gentle with me.
Anyway to be on topic,the main problem with TNA is the management decisions,and i don't mean on a storyline/wrestling tip,but general TV choice for the U.K.
Now TNA is well recieved here,tickets sell and the prgram is watched,up untill now we've been getting free ppv on Bravo a fewdays after the event,as of Genesis it is ppv.There's no problem with this,i know myself and the vast majority have no problem paying to view a product they enjoy.No,the problem is with how it's being given to us(at this point it seems that future ppv`s will be provided to the U.K. under the same terms) we can either stream it on the internet,at a cost of just under £11 or wait untill 3pm,20 minutes ago,and watch it via BT vision.
Problems with that are as follows-
Internet-General speeds here absolutely suck to be able to watch live via internet...anyone see that England football match a few months ago? terrible.Also who wants to watch wrestling on a small screen,with poor resolution and buffering when it could be in beautiful HD on a massive lcd/plasma screen?
BT vision - well to start with I'd assume at 3pm on a monday most potential viewers are just finishing school or at work,the second problem is the user base for this product.
If i remember rightly BT vision has less than 500k subscribers,most people have freeview,then sky,then virgin media.So to watch the ppv`s on a tv the option is to sub to the piss poor BT vision and then the ppv cost.

Seems that due to WWE/SKY deal that TNA can't use sky box office and Bravo don't wish to show any ppv that they don't have exclusivity rights too.

In one fell swoop TNA has managed to alienate the majority of it's UK fan base.THIS is the main problem they have atm.

 

[The Outsider]

TNA will not fail as much as you want it to wolvdog316. I know you're a Hogan hater and want the Hogan experiment to fail but the truth is that TNA doesn't need any Cena's or Ortons. They have all the pieces in places. They have the cream of the crop. They have the guys that were considered the future in WWE about 3-4 years ago with the Lashleys and Andersons. They have the talented guys WWE missed out on such as Morgan & The Pope. They have the cream of the crop from the indies such as Joe, Homocide, and Wolfe. They have the TNA originals like Hernandez, AJ Styles, Daniels, etc. They have some of the most recognized and accomplished faces in wrestling like Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Foley, and Kurt Angle. They have 1 of wrestlings if not wrestling biggest draw of 2009 which is Jeff Hardy. They've got the best wrestling roster right now. How much more do you think TNA needs? TNA is fine. All they need is more tv time and that Monday Night stage every week. The pieces are there. All they have to do is put the pieces together. So no, TNA is not in any trouble.

You think these guys are gonna get pushed???? You need to go rent the DVD's "The Monday Night Wars" and "Rise And Fall Of WCW". My friend you are now watching the Hogan and Friends show when watching TNA.

Daniels was jobbed to Sean Morley. Enough said!

Hogan and Bischoff are living in the past. And trying to go back to them days is never going to work. One of TNA's unique selling points (The 6-sided ring) has already gone. Now sit back and watch the death of your old favourite's careers! Jay lethal and the likes should be really concerned for their futures.

TNA's best bet already is that Hogan gets bored, senses it hasn't worked, and leaves!

An extreme view I know, but the changes made already are disastrous in my eyes

 

[Greenlight13]

I think you are severely exaggerating certain things and overlooking others.

Firstly, Hogan debuting for WCW was the biggest moment in wrestling to that point. Nash seemed just as over as Hall to me. Rick Rude turning up on WCW made minimum impact. Syxx did nothing in WCW. All of this is besides the point though.

While you make a good point about 90 day non-complete clauses and long term contracts meaning stars can't just jump, you've got it a bit twisted about former WWE stars. Booker T left WWE, WWE didn't fire him so he was a huge asset to TNA. Nash would be working for WWE if he wanted to right now because he is on very good terms with Vince, HHH and Shawn. He's over with the crowd and can out-talk 90% of the industry. Brian Kendrick was fired due to his attitude, not his talent, and if anyone tries to tell me he isn't a good pick-up then they're flat out wrong. I personally hate Steiner but I can't deny that he was a major name in the wrestling business and people know who he is.

As for Orlando Jordan, why is everyone burying him before he has done anything in the company? He hasn't been on TV in three or more years and in that time he's wrestled in Europe against people like RVD so for all we know he could be pretty good in the ring now.

Nasty Boys I'll give you, they don't belong anywhere. If Hall had it together he wouldn't be a terrible short-term acquisition but he and Waltman aren't considered a long-term idea so I don't know why people are worried. They will fire them if they fuck up badly.

I'm a fan of Morley as a mid-card performer and having him lose in his debut match would have crushed him right off the bat. Now maybe having him beat last months' near-champion clean wasn't the best move in the world, but WWE do worse on a regular basis.

Abyss losing to the brass knucks is fine in my eyes because I think they'd do more hypothetical damage than barbed wire or protected chair shots. The idea is that he had no clue the impact was coming as opposed to a weapons match where you expect it and more often that not they do it blatantly right in front of you so you can cover up a bit. The brass knucks come from left-field and have a concussive impact. PLUS Abyss has gone down to basic wrestling moves that aren't even finishers in the past in the same way that Kane can be beaten these days even though years ago he kicked out of three Tombstones.

Hogan has been a success so far whether anyone likes it or not. They did their highest rating ever on his debut night and that can't be argued with. They're advertising a shit-load more, they're raised their production values even higher, they're attracting more talent and love it or hate it nobody took the 6-sided ring seriously. I had no problem with it one way or the other but people like Stone Cold have said they needed to get rid of it and that's a man who know's what he's talking about.

In essence it's way too early to say they're in SERIOUS trouble as the changes are only 2 shows and a PPV old. AJ is still champion and looks the strongest he ever has. Pope and Wolfe are getting big pushes, they've brought in Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Brian Kendrick, and Ric Flair. Sting and Jarrett are coming back. The Young Bucks have arrived. I can go on and on.

Things like the Nasty Boys and a wrecked Hall are negative additions but I'd imagine the Nasty Boys will get a one-shot match against Team 3D, lose and be gone, and Hall will linger as long as he toes the line which as history as shown us won't be long.

So no, TNA aren't in trouble yet and in my opinion they won't be anytime soon.

 

[The Outsider]

Long time lurker here so please be gentle with me.
Anyway to be on topic,the main problem with TNA is the management decisions,and i don't mean on a storyline/wrestling tip,but general TV choice for the U.K.
Now TNA is well recieved here,tickets sell and the prgram is watched,up untill now we've been getting free ppv on Bravo a fewdays after the event,as of Genesis it is ppv.There's no problem with this,i know myself and the vast majority have no problem paying to view a product they enjoy.No,the problem is with how it's being given to us(at this point it seems that future ppv`s will be provided to the U.K. under the same terms) we can either stream it on the internet,at a cost of just under £11 or wait untill 3pm,20 minutes ago,and watch it via BT vision.
Problems with that are as follows-
Internet-General speeds here absolutely suck to be able to watch live via internet...anyone see that England football match a few months ago? terrible.Also who wants to watch wrestling on a small screen,with poor resolution and buffering when it could be in beautiful HD on a massive lcd/plasma screen?
BT vision - well to start with I'd assume at 3pm on a monday most potential viewers are just finishing school or at work,the second problem is the user base for this product.
If i remember rightly BT vision has less than 500k subscribers,most people have freeview,then sky,then virgin media.So to watch the ppv`s on a tv the option is to sub to the piss poor BT vision and then the ppv cost.

Seems that due to WWE/SKY deal that TNA can't use sky box office and Bravo don't wish to show any ppv that they don't have exclusivity rights too.

In one fell swoop TNA has managed to alienate the majority of it's UK fan base.THIS is the main problem they have atm.

Yup, you got that right. No doubt another Hogan/Bischoff change. Make them pay for it. Those guys are all about the money.

Well congratulations, you just killed your U.K veiwership.

I was in attendance at London's Wembley Arena last January. At the time, largest live event in TNA history!!! And well done Hogan and croonies, you went and basicially killed the fan base in one night.

I don't disagree we should pay for it over here in the U.K, but show it LIVE! And show it on a channel most broadcasters pick up.

 

[jeagz]

Your all ******ed. WWE is garbage. How can neone say wwe is better than tna right now. for the past 3 years tna has been way beeter than wwe. I get tired of seeing the same old matches over and over. WWE doesnt know how to use anyone worth while, the only people that get used in wwe are the company guys (HHH, Cena, Michaels, Orton) Too bad michaels is about to die. Orton is the best draw out of all of em. TNA is not in any trouble. As it was reported they have all the recent wwe "future" talent. Too bad kennedy got fired because orton didnt want him there. F@#k WWE they are garbage. Igt's meant for little kids. i will say that im pissed hogan made the ring 4sided just cause he didnt like the 6 sides, but thats wat made tna. And that stupid ramp to the ring is sooo dumb. It was in wcw and it is now. Just realize that Tna will make a hit. I dont know when u think TNA is gonna go i the drain but if it does it wont be at least for another 5 10 years. But leme emphasize fot all you WWE lovers, WWE IS THE WORST SHIT IVE EVER SEEEN. Maybe they need some tna rejects haha.

 

[Jordan-Dixon]

TNA have stabbed them selves in the foot.

6 sided ring was amazing to see high-flying moves from x division guys and thats gone now. And wtf is the deal with the Global title, TNA have a major title that they dont use and a mickey mouse wrestler has it.

And there is no direction with the new guys, Nasty boys v Team 3D is on at the minute but why ?? 4 overweight has-been's wrestling isnt something that appeals to me to watch that over WWE.

What will Flair, Sting, Hogan and the other WCW guys do long term as all are to old to compete with the guys in TNA

TNA SUCKS !!!

 

[psykohurricane]

So to be clear, wrestlers can only do high flying spots in a 6 sided ring psykohurricane? I admit to not following the indies, so I didn't realize that six sided rings were all that were used on the indies, in backyards, in ROH, etc. I thought that was a TNA only thing. I didn't realize that Amazing Red, Paul London, and all the other spot monkeys had never been able to do their high flying stunts before they got to TNA.

I'm not saying that they cannot do hig flying spots in a normal ring, i'm just saying that the way TNA as set up the IMPACT Zone with the new ring makes it almost impossible for the x-division guys to do high risk move without hurting thelmselves on the guard rail or the ramp they set up.

 

[healyz84]

I actually watched the ppv last night, maybe only the 3rd or 4th time that i've watched a tna ppv, and I was deeply disappointed. Was I disappointed in the matches, well no, not really. What made me disappointed was the fans. TNA really needs to get out of the impact zone, as these fans absolutely suck. They chant boring when its a good, technical wrestling match. They start chanting 'this is awesome' in the styles/angle match during the 1st minute or 2 when quite frankly the action was slow and boring. The fans are quiet throughout most of the matches, and then randomly start chanting like ridiculous fools. These are pretty much the same fans that go to every TNA event in Orlando, so you would think they would get smart to the business. But no, they complain when change takes place (4 vs. 6 sided ring), they complain they want new wrestlers, then complain when they come (what, were they expected to acquire like a Cena or Orton).

Hogan is not the answer, he wasn't in WCW, he is not now. I was excited to watch the first episode of the Hogan era, but quite frankly it left me not wanting more. I thought we would get something new, we got the same old, if not worse. And this to me is heightened by the fact that TNA continues to be in the impact zone, continues to show its product to the same fans, and to only like 1000 fans at that. These fans I believe would not even show up if it wasn't for being free (well as free as its going to get).

 

[TellMeWhy]

You think these guys are gonna get pushed???? You need to go rent the DVD's "The Monday Night Wars" and "Rise And Fall Of WCW". My friend you are now watching the Hogan and Friends show when watching TNA.

Daniels was jobbed to Sean Morley. Enough said!

Hogan and Bischoff are living in the past. And trying to go back to them days is never going to work. One of TNA's unique selling points (The 6-sided ring) has already gone. Now sit back and watch the death of your old favourite's careers! Jay lethal and the likes should be really concerned for their futures.

TNA's best bet already is that Hogan gets bored, senses it hasn't worked, and leaves!

An extreme view I know, but the changes made already are disastrous in my eyes

Those guys are already being pushed. You can bring in a bunch of guys but TNA will always mix their young talent with name acquisitions. AJ Styles right now is TNA world champion and is facing guys like Kurt Angle and is aligned with Ric Flair. Enough said!

And lol at crying about a ring. It doesn't matter what ring guys in TNA wrestle in, if the guys can work, they can work. The ring doesn't make a difference. TNA used a traditional ring for 2 years in it's infancy. Stop trying to make a big deal out of nothing because I'm a diehard TNA fan and I could careless what ring they work in.

Hogan & Bischoff are there to make TNA work and they're on the right track. You can cry yourself to sleep about how many sides a ring has or which wrestlers have been employed. The point is Bischoff & Hogan won't do anything intentional to hurt TNA. They have the best intentions and I honestly believe in them.

 

[TheChristmasCreature]

I've been watching wrestling since the Sunday night airings of Mid-South Wrestling in my town and my issue with TNA is that I have always found it difficult to sit through an entire Impact airing. The show overall comes off like a bad B movie in comparison to the product they claim to want to be in competition with, WWE, and I don't really see WWE sweating anything TNA has done yet. It's like saying that the NFL has to start worrying about Arena Football.

I do not believe that TNA has the "cream of the crop" or "all the pieces in place" as stated above by LetEmKnow and I believe, as the thread states, that TNA is in serious trouble here.

I think that it is smart to bring in recognizable names like Angle, Sting, Christian, Kennedy, Hardy (if he can get straight) but don't think that Hogan, Bischoff, Hall, Foley, Waltman, The Nasty Boys (and any other former big name/has been/never was that doesn't come in ready to help push the product like King Booger) are worth their time, effort or cost. The only name talents that should be considered are those who are recognizable, good on the mic, can wrestle, and are ready to be a part of a bigger picture of building a brand and not solely about building themselves.

The real focus for TNA needs to be to put out an entertaining product with storylines that make sense and come full circle. It drives me crazy how TNA starts storylines and then just does nothing with them!! I personally was a big fan of MEM but they didn't make anything happen with it.

TNA needs to push wrestlers who have good mic skills. Most of them are terrible on the mic and it doesn't help the overall show. I can't stand watching AJ Styles on the mic and you need to be a good entertainer in all facets of the show; wrestling and speaking.

This is scripted television with athletes. It must have a level of entertainment. Friday Night Smackdown is taped on Tuesdays and the spoilers are posted here every week. I read the spoilers and still watch the show because it is an entertaining product. I read the TNA spoilers then try to watch but have never sat through an entire episode. It's not so much about names, its about product quality and cohesiveness. TNA simply comes off as second rate, poor quality and until they fix these issues they will not be able compete with WWE.

 

[beefthelegend]

Wow. Just wow. Talk about over-reaction of the century!

TNA is doing just fine. When they went live Monday, they pulled a 50% better rating than they normally do. 50% better! Do you know how many shows would give their left foot for such a meteoric turn in ratings. Yes, i realize that we're talking the difference between a 1.0 and a 1.5, but still, it's 50%.

The problem is Hogan. He's not helping. I believe TNA would have drawn a 1.5 on Monday night, even without him. I guess Hogan isn't the problem- his pals are. Scott hall, Sean Waltman, Nasty boys to begin with. And Hogan's need for the spotlight.

However, without Hogan, does TNA get Ric Flair? Or Jeff Hardy? Or Ken Anderson? All of whom i would argue help the product to improve even more.

Let's face facts- Hall backed out of his big return match. Waltman didn't want to do it either. They are not long for TNA, especially without Nash's backing. The Nasty Boys i wonder about, but at the same time, i think they'll be a one time deal (for the feud with the Dudleys). I think it's great that they are backing the Wolfe/Pope feud, as it is probably the best they have now that Angle/Styles is done. Anderson will quickly rise to the TNA title-which i believe is good for TNA.

Sean Morley could be a problem though-because TNA writers think the whole Nostalgia vibe with Val Venis is working. It's not. Daniels will get the better end of the feud, i hope. I believe that the "older guys" will try and put the young guys over-if for nothing else, than to stick it to Vince.

Here are some dangerous questions though:

What if AJ Styles heel turn blows up in their face?
Where was Samoa Joe last night?
Can TNA survive without a midcard title? (X Division doesn't count)
Where has Eric Young and the World Elite been? They had such a strong angle, that seemingly ended abruptly.
Where was Jeff Hardy last night?

TNA needs to cut the fat, and push established stars like Anderson and Hardy, as well as continuing to develop the home grown boys- AJ, Joe (even though he started in PWG and ROH, i know, i know) Daniels, Homicide, Eric Young, etc.

What does TNA also need? Two things- 1. To go live on Monday nights (or at least on a half hour tape delay) from 8-10. and 2. A second show.

Spike has been flirting with a second TNA show for a while, but the inclusion of the Hulkster may well seal the deal. Also, i think Spike is testing the waters for a Live TNA broadcast- being that UFC didn't do as well.

The ring size/sides has nothing to do with anything, in my opinion.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Your all ******ed.

And you're not a very good speller.

WWE is garbage.

I do miss Duke Droese. You know, "The Dumpster?"

How can neone say wwe is better than tna right now.

I think you meant to say anyone. Maybe you meant Neon, the character played by Shaq in "Blue Chips," but I assume you meant the former.

Allow me to demonstrate how it's done.

WWE is better than TNA right now.

There. See how that worked?

for the past 3 years tna has been way beeter than wwe.

Clearly, as shown by the consistent 0.8 - 1.0 rating TNA has been getting, and the fact that they needed Hogan and Bischoff to come in.

WWE doesnt know how to use anyone worth while, the only people that get used in wwe are the company guys (HHH, Cena, Michaels, Orton).

Let me educate you on how business works, ok? When a company has long-time performers, guys who have come through in the clutch before, that company tends to STICK WITH THOSE PEOPLE. Do you think Prudential puls their top salesman aside and says "hey, you're our top salesman and you have been for a long time, but despite the fact that you can still sell, we are going to replace you with someone just because they are younger." It doesn't work that way.

It also doesn't hurt that Paul Levesque, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, and Randy Orton have forgotten more about actual professional wrestling than you and I will ever know.

Too bad michaels is about to die.

Well the next time you speak to Death, kindly ask him when I am due.

Orton is the best draw out of all of em.

No, Cena is, clearly. Orton may be the one YOU want to see the most, but the numbers clearly state that Cena is the best draw.

TNA is not in any trouble.

I assume you're bugged their backstage meetings and have looked at their financial statements?

I don't think TNA is in trouble yet either, but I do equate bringing Hogan, Bischoff, and keeping Russo around as representing the proverbial "panic" button.

As it was reported they have all the recent wwe "future" talent.

They do? Hmmmm, missed that one.

Too bad kennedy got fired because orton didnt want him there.

Kennedy was fired for being injury prone AND accident prone. WWE doesn't want a guy in the ring with their top stars who cannot protect him opponent properly. Kennedy has trouble going three months without injuring either himself or an opponent. That's known as a LIABILITY.

F@#k WWE they are garbage.

You censoring yourself mid-post is just hilarious.

Igt's meant for little kids.

So are phonics. Did you invent a new contraction? "Igt's?"

i will say that im pissed hogan made the ring 4sided just cause he didnt like the 6 sides, but thats wat made tna.

It was just the ring?

But leme emphasize fot all you WWE lovers, WWE IS THE WORST SHIT IVE EVER SEEEN. Maybe they need some tna rejects haha.

I haven't seen much shit in my day. All I know is, I've been a wrestling fan since Wrestlemania 7, and still am to this day. And I know that WWE's matches and storylines tend to have a bit more continuity to them than TNA has lately. I would LOVE some serious competition, I just think they brought in the wrong people to do it.

 

[I_AM_AWSOME]

hogan and dixie have to relize that tna can never compete with the wwe. wwe is way to big of a company to even compete with. They have cena,hh,hbk,taker the list goes on. They also have something called wrestlemania which is like the superbowl for pro wrestleing. All tna has a bunch old ppl and very talented superstars that they dont use to there advantage. Tna use to be special with ther x division and other stuff kind a like the old ecw but now since hogan came it turned into wcw. Tna has to get bigger arenas, a better tv look to attract to ppl like wwe's hd stage and main eventers that can draw ratings like hardy and aj make them have a feud for the ages.

 

[classicviolence]

I am a long time fan of pro wrestling. Neither WWE, TNA or ROH is doing so hot right now because of one thing. THEY ALL NEED A BLOOD WORKING IN CREATIVE.

WWE is failing because Vince, Steph and HHH have their view on what is supposed to be scene on WWE TV instead of trying to be innovative and really grow the product from a business standpoint. Merch is up, PPVs and TV is down drastically from the Attitude Era because of politics. Too many top guys are getting buried and WWE fails to pull the trigger on someone when they are on fire. (Kennedy, Matt Hardy, Shelton, Christian etc.)

TNA on the other hand think that what they are actually producing is great TV. That is a problem. I will say that the original NWA-TNA is miles better than the current product because of the action and suspense that NWA-TNA created. TNA should be all about creating NEW STARS no exceptions. Not billing Angle as a "13 time" champion, Not giving Foley tons of TV time, Not pushing any useless talent (Nasties, Hall, Nash, Morely, etc.)

They are getting there by pushing AJ, Pope, Wolfe and Red. However they are seriously dropping the ball with Abyss, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, CHRIS SABIN, ALEX SHELLEY, and Eric Young. All of these guys should be the focal point of TNA and the older vets should be jobbing to them to make them look credible in the eyes of casual and hardcore fans.

TNA has hope unlike WWE. Its just going to take a new booker for TNA to turn it around and make the product top notch. But all 3 companies (ROH, WWE, TNA) just do not pull the trigger on certian guys before making them look terrible for the fans. (Jericho, Tyler Black, Samoa Joe etc.)

 

[TLC]

They are fucking stupid. Taking PPV of Bravo onto BT Vision they are going to lose alot more viewers. That has pissed me off. I was looking forward to watching Genesis again. They shouldn't try and do too many things at once. It takes time to become succesful and moving their shows off and not telling the viewers isn't a way to do it.

 

[Supersayin]

Considering the OP who hates TNA very much, he definitly must of had a heart change after watching the PPV last night that made him write a essay. Thats the spirit my friend.

 

[goldbergiswrestling]

well although I do prefer TNA over WWE, the most important thing about TNA's rise is competition, wrestling has become so stale and boring, but for once Im interested, in the entire product, not just TNA, not just Raw, but I watched Smackdown, and even ECW which I havent watched in years, I havent watched Smackdown since its move to Friday Nights and I havent watched ECW since Paul Heyman was released.

 

[OnslaughtHP]

If TNA is really in trouble ( I don't think it is) here is what they need to do.
1. With the new ring they need to open the place up. When you look at the WWE ring you have plenty of space to move around and actually spend a good amount of time fighting outside but with the new ring in TNA, there is no room. Once TBK and Red got outside, they looked like they were just fumbling around and you could see Brooke Hogan was near enough that it look if she wanted to, she could touch the ring or get close enough. How do you expect the x division to leap outside if they have no room. Just look dangerous. Also....Change the camera angles when looking a the ring. It worked with the 6 sides but now it looks like shit.
2. Get rid of the Knockout Tag Titles or give the Knockouts their own show. I like seeing the Titles for woman but it takes up the already limited air time.
3. Cut the fat. Get rid of any and every wrestle who doesn't perform well or the crowd isn't behind for a several months. Talent that I would cut? Bobby Lashely (does anyone REALLY care?), Jesse Neal (who is this guy anyways?), Foley (give him a backstage job), Suicide (Bring back Kaz), Shark Boy, and please get rid of The Nasty Boyz....Please?